Tompkins County Honors College's 50th Anniversary

At its meeting on September 4, 2018, the Tompkins County Legislature paid tribute to the College's 50th anniversary.

The Legislature unanimously approved this Resolution in Recognition of the 50th Anniversary of the Founding of Tompkins Cortland Community College.

WHEREAS, a half a century ago the people of Tompkins and Cortland Counties recognized the need to create an avenue for so many of its people who were hungering for higher education to better their lives, and

WHEREAS, the promise of higher education had been denied to so many because of its cost, its accessibility, and its rigid academic structure, and

WHEREAS, in partnership with the State of New York, the Counties agreed to come together and co-sponsor the creation of a community college, where open enrollment and modest cost could open a door for so many who had been left behind, and

WHEREAS, Tompkins Cortland Community College began in the old high school building in the Village of Groton, but soon moved to a new campus in the Town of Dryden, and

WHEREAS, over the years the campus expanded and developed extension centers in both the City of Ithaca and the City of Cortland, and

WHEREAS, initially serving mostly traditional high school graduates from the two sponsoring counties and their counterparts in directly adjacent counties, student enrollment soon grew to include non-traditional students working so hard to earn a degree despite grueling work and family commitments; and it grew to provide training in so many fields to assist businesses and the workforce in our communities; and it became a pathway to advanced degrees at other educational institutions, and

WHEREAS, the College became a leader in the development of co-curricular courses in regional high schools, and online course offerings, which lead to the more rapid attainment of certificates and degrees by students, and

WHEREAS, Tompkins Co1iland Community College has become a model of inclusiveness and a leader in diversity through the broadening of its student body to include students from all over New York, the United States, and the world who come here to experience a first class institution with faculty and staff dedicated first and foremost to student success, and

WHEREAS, key support from the Tompkins Cortland Community College Foundation and private donors has assisted the College in responding to the ever evolving academic and social needs of students, and

WHEREAS, the accomplishments of College alumni, both traditional and non-traditional, speak volumes about the great work that our Community College does for all of us, now therefore be it

RESOLVED, That the Tompkins County Legislature extends its warmest congratulations to Tompkins Cortland Community College, its students, faculty, administration, and staff, on the 50th anniversary of its founding, and expresses its sincere thanks and support for all that the College does for our community and for the world.